Energy
by NSaynKnutt
Summary: There was a time when anyone could bend all the elements. Now allbenders are few and far between, and hunted by a fearful world. Follow Kieran as he uncovers the secrets of those who could bend that mysterious element, energy. Very AU. All characters mine. Rated T just in case. No language, no slash.
1. Prologue

** Preface**

The following story is loosely set in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. By loosely set, I mean that I liked the idea of four nations bending four elements and decided to run with it. This story does not follow the Airbender timeline. There is no Avatar, although there are still people who can bend all of the elements. This is not intended to be a prologue to the series or to fit in with it in any way whatsoever. This is just me having fun in a modified version of that world.

That said, please enjoy the story.

* * *

**Prologue**

Zhen stared at the crowd that surrounded him. He knew why they were here. It was the very same reason that had forced him from his home and caused him to seek solace in this place: energybending.

For thousands of years, stories had been told of the energybenders. It was said that at the dawn of time, anyone could bend any of the elements. Most people would focus on learning one or two, but there were some who mastered all four. These masters discovered a new element called energy. No one knew exactly how it worked, but it was thought that energybenders could take away another person's powers.

In time, the energybenders rose up against the rest of the world in a long and bloody war. They stole the powers of the common people until there was almost no one left to challenge them. But somehow, someone managed to drive the energybenders back. The aggressors were systematically destroyed until none were left. Those few benders who survived the war could bend only one of the four elements, and nations formed around these new groups of benders. Generations passed, and gradually the world adjusted to the new system.

But ever since, if a child was born with the ability to bend all the elements, he was marked. No one wanted a repeat of the Energy War, and anyone with the potential for energybending was killed.

Such was the case here. Zhen watched the crowd carefully, thinking about what his gift had cost him. Rejection from his family, fleeing for his life–it had all been because he was an allbender. Zhen had managed to conceal his abilities for years now, but he had known that he would not be able to hide forever. Here, now, it all came to a head. Zhen would die tonight, he knew. But that didn't matter. All that mattered were those he fought for. They had to have time to escape. He hoped they were far from here already, but still he stood, trying to gain them a few more precious seconds.

Zhen saw the change in the crowd seconds before they rushed at him. Taking a slight step back, he released a wave of fire that forced some back while others screamed in pain from the flames. Zhen felt projectiles hit his face as benders in the crowd began to propel things his direction. He threw up a wall of ice and jumped over it, spreading yet more fire in his path. His attackers had sorely underestimated him. Zhen battled on the left, right, front, and rear, doing anything to keep the crowd's attention on himself. As long as they're thinking about me, they can't be looking for them, he thought.

But even he could not keep so many at bay indefinitely. Zhen was beginning to tire. Countless projectiles pierced his body. He didn't have time to heal himself. Suddenly he was thrown to the ground. The people stormed over him, and he tasted something metallic in his mouth. Zhen felt himself go numb, and the world faded to black.


	2. Chapter 1

**Part I: Kieran**

**Chapter 1**

Kieran looked out over the expanse of water and went through the stances again. He was pleased to see a wave rise before him. Continuing his move, he brought the water around himself in an arc before returning it to the ocean.

His mother, Taana, nodded approvingly at him. "Very good," she said. "Now pass it to me."

Kieran grinned. Passing water between two waterbenders was a difficult move. If his mother thought he was ready to attempt it, he must be progressing far, indeed.

Kieran was only ten, but he was already farther ahead in his training than most of the teenagers in his village. His mother was the village healer and had been teaching him waterbending since he was four. Kieran was convinced that she must be the best waterbender in the world.

It took a while, but eventually Kieran was able to pass the water to his mother without spilling any in the transition. He watched in fascination as she put the liquid through several complicated moves before shooting it out over the ocean like a missile. She looked at him and smiled. "I think that's enough for today," she said. "Why don't you go play now? I need to make my rounds."

She turned and began walking through the snow back to the village. Kieran followed her, watching as small igloos began to appear in the distance. There was a harbor closer to the arctic village where Kieran and his mother lived, but Taana thought it best if her son stayed far away from any innocent bystanders while practicing bigger waterbending moves. As the small ice houses grew more densely packed, Kieran kicked at the snow on the surface of the glacier, allowing his mother to go on ahead while he drifted behind. He watched carefully until she disappeared behind a house. Smiling mischievously, Kieran glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention and hurried back out to the ocean to practice some more.

Taana smiled to herself. Let the boy practice if he wanted. The more he learned, the better. As she walked through the village, she overheard a group of men talking.

"They spotted another Fire Nation ship close to Karta."

"That's twice this week. It won't be long before they come here..."

Worry creased Taana's brow as she continued on her rounds. The Water Tribe and the Fire Nation had been at war with each other for as long as anyone could remember. No one knew what had started the conflict, but for hundreds of years, the two nations had pitted their forces against each other in a battle for domination that neither seemed able to win. Taana had come to this remote village in the hope of escaping the conflict, but it seemed the Fire Nation navy was making more and more advances near their position. Sooner or later, the war she had fled would catch up with her.

* * *

Several hours later, Kieran walked through the door of his home. Taana was inside with a patient. She saw him come through the door and beckoned for him to come sit next to her. As Kieran sat down, his mother turned slightly to face him.

"Kieran, can you help me? What happened to this man?"

The cause of the patient's discomfort was readily apparent. "He broke his leg," Kieran replied, slightly confused. He didn't know why she was asking him.

"That's right," his mother told him. "How should his leg be treated?"

Kieran frowned. "Well, you need to set the bone, and then get it started healing." He still couldn't figure out why his opinion mattered.

"That's right," she said again. "Why don't you try it?"

Kieran stared at her. Never in his life had he actually treated anyone. His mother had taught him many healing techniques, and he had practiced them multiple times, but usually he healed seals, penguins, or a sick dog. He had never healed an actual human being. Most of the villagers didn't like the idea of putting their lives in the hands of a ten-year-old boy.

This villager, apparently, was no different. The man stared at Taana. "Are you sure?" he asked nervously, "Because, you know, if you'd like to do it yourself . . ."

"No," Taana said simply. "Kieran can do it." She scooted over so Kieran could have her spot.

Kieran's mouth went dry as he leaned over the man. Taking a deep breath, he grasped the man's leg in his small hands. Grimacing, he popped the bone back into place. The patient gave a yelp. Kieran's mother said nothing. Kieran glanced at her. She watched him with an innocent expression. Okay, so he was on his own.

Kieran reached into the bowl of water next to him and bent out some water. Placing his hands over the man's leg, he began to heal the wound.

No one was quite sure how it worked, but for some reason, waterbenders had healing abilities. Kieran couldn't even understand it himself. He just knew how to activate the water somehow. When he activated water, suddenly it was like he could see any part of a person, just by moving the water over them. He could see how everything fit together, or was supposed to fit together, and he could control the pieces. Right now, he could feel the jagged edges of the broken bone in the man's leg, aligned but not yet healed. He put all of his concentration into smoothing those edges, making the two pieces of bone come back together as one.

When he finished, Kieran looked to his mother for approval. She was talking to the patient.

"It appears your leg has been healed to the point where you won't even need a cast. Looks like you didn't need me after all." She winked at Kieran.

As the patient hurried out of the house, Kieran heaved a sigh of relief. His mother turned to him. "You did a very good job with his leg," she said approvingly.

Kieran blushed. "I just hope he thinks so," he replied.

Taana stood up. "He will," she assured her son. "You have greatly improved since you first healed that baby seal. In fact, I think you're ready for a whole new application of healing. Get up early tomorrow morning, and I'll take you to the ocean and teach you."

Kieran's eyes widened in excitement. Healing had always come more easily to him than any other waterbending technique. He was just good at it. Whatever this new application was, Kieran couldn't wait to learn it.

Kieran had trouble sleeping all that night. A few hours before dawn, he woke his mother excitedly.

Taana gave him a bemused smile and got up. Her son had waited long enough, and it would be better if they left while most of the village was asleep, anyway.

She took Kieran out farther than usual before stopping. She looked out across the water in the darkness and listened to the sound of the waves. They were alone.

"Kieran, do you know what it means to be a master?" she asked.

Kieran's face fell at what sounded like the beginning of a long lecture. "It means that you've mastered all the techniques of your ability so that you can perform them easily and teach them to others," he answered.

Taana shook her head. "That's what they teach you in school, Kieran, but a master is so much more. To truly master waterbending, you must learn it until it becomes second nature. The water must be a constant extension of yourself. A true master doesn't just learn and teach techniques; he can invent new ones if the need arises."

Taana turned away from the expanse of the ocean to look at her son. "The technique I'm about to teach you is one that I invented. It requires great concentration and a lot of time. You must be extremely careful if you ever use it."

Kieran nodded solemnly. Taana knelt in the snow in the light of the lantern, and Kieran knelt beside her.

"You know how healing works," she began. "You activate some water and use it to examine and fit together the torn pieces of something or someone that is injured. What most healers don't realize is that you can also use healing water to rearrange healthy cells."

Kieran's eyebrows furrowed. "Why would anyone want to do that?"

A sudden sadness came over Taana's face. "Kieran," she began, "Right now we feel safe, but that doesn't mean we always will be. One day, there may come a time when we have to leave. If that day ever comes, this technique will allow you to change your face so that no one will recognize you. Watch."

Taana activated some water out of the ocean and brought it to bear on her left hand. "You must feel the tissue that forms your nose and other facial features, and change it."

As Kieran watched, a small lump appeared on his mother's hand. Kieran stared at his mother in amazement.

"There are two things you must always remember when you use this technique," Taana instructed. "The first is that this is a drastic measure that is very painful. Never use it lightly. The second is that if you ever have to change your face more than once, _always_ go back to your original face first. Changing from one fake face to another will make you forget what you used to look like, and you could end up permanently disfiguring yourself." The lump on Taana's hand slowly vanished.

"Now, get some water for yourself and we'll practice," she said.

Kieran swallowed nervously and followed his mother's example.

* * *

As the sun began to rise, Taana smiled at Kieran. "I think you've got it," she told him. She started to say something else, but hesitated. Finally, she said, "Kieran, there are some things you need to know."

Kieran followed as she stood up and began to walk, not back toward the village, but farther away.

"Pay close attention to where we're going," Taana told him. "You need to be able to find your way there by yourself if anything happens to me." She saw the concern on Kieran's face, but he said nothing.

Taana led him far out across the white expanse until they came to a cluster of outcroppings jutting out of the glacier. At the base of one of these outcroppings was a cave. Taana led her son inside and knelt on the ice. "Put your hand on the ice," she told Kieran.

He obeyed.

"Can you feel a bundle deep beneath the surface?"

Kieran closed his eyes and extended his senses down through the ice. It was difficult, but he thought he could feel some sort of object far below the surface. "I think I found it."

"Pull it up."

Carefully, Kieran manipulated the ice of the glacier to bring the strange object to the surface. It was a bundle of some sort. Looking to his mother for approval, Kieran opened it and pulled out several scrolls. One was very large and looked like it might have other writings stuffed inside it. The others were fairly small. "What are these?" he asked.

"These scrolls contain very dangerous knowledge that must not be destroyed," Taana told him. "One day, you will be ready to read them, but not yet."

Kieran was confused. "Then why are you showing them to me?"

Taana looked away. "Because whatever happens, you have to make sure these aren't lost." She picked up the smallest scroll. "This scroll contains directions to a Water Tribe village on the coast of the main continent. If anything happens to me, I want you to come here and get these scrolls, change your face, and travel to that village. There's a woman there named Jarka who'll take care of you. If you forget anything, the instructions are in here, but you have to remember where the scrolls are hidden."

Kieran looked at his mother with a concerned expression. "Why do you keep saying that?"

Taana blinked. "What?"

"'If anything happens to me.' You've been saying it a lot."

Taana looked at her son and was struck by how small he looked. Her expression softened and she pulled him into her arms. "The world is a dangerous place, Kieran," she told him. "It's getting more dangerous every day. I don't know how long I'll be here to protect you. I just want to make sure you're safe when I'm gone. Promise me you'll do what I said."

Kieran nodded.

Taana turned his face up to look at her. "Promise me," she insisted.

"I promise."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Three weeks after their unusual healing lesson, Taana helped Kieran tunnel down into the ice.

"Always remember to leave an opening somewhere for air," she told him. "You can hide yourself expertly, but if you run out of air, you'll pass out and eventually die. It kind of defeats the purpose of hiding." She winked at her son.

Kieran opened a large hole in the ice above their heads.

"No, that's too big," Taana said. "Anyone on the surface could easily see it and discover your hiding place. You need several small holes, big enough to let in air but be unnoticeable from the surface."

She demonstrated as she spoke, and Kieran's eyes widened in understanding. "Like the shelter!"

Taana nodded. On the outskirts of their village, there was a shelter hidden under the ice as a hiding place for children and other noncombatants if there was an attack. The ceiling was perforated with many tiny holes like the ones Taana had just made.

"Exactly like the shelter," she agreed.

Kieran stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth and tried again. He opened several small holes in a cluster in the ice. As he made more, the roof weakened and started to collapse. Taana laughed and caught the ice before it could fall.

"But," she said patiently, "if you put too many air holes in one spot, the roof could collapse."

Kieran sighed as his mother reassembled the ceiling. "Icebending is hard," he muttered.

Taana smiled and rolled her eyes. Kieran was actually doing very well. "Why don't we take a break?" she suggested. "I'm getting kind of hungry."

Kieran grinned and nodded. He pushed back the ice from the roof as Taana bent the floor upward to meet the ceiling. On the surface, they walked over to where they had left their basket of breakfast. The sun was still low in the sky. Taana admired the beautiful colors of the clouds. The air was crisp and chill, as it always was, and she listened to the wind blow across the surface of the glacier. Suddenly, she heard a different sound. Taana turned her head and listened more carefully. She hadn't imagined it. Far in the distance in the direction of their village, she heard the unmistakeable clanging of the alarm bell.

Taana's blood turned to ice water in her veins. The color drained from her face.

Kieran put down the dried fish he was holding. "Mom?" he asked quietly.

Taana looked down at her son. Her mind was racing. They were already far from the village. If they made for the cave now, they could easily escape. She looked back in the direction of the alarm. There were so many people there. How many children lived in her village? Could she abandon them all in a selfish move to save herself?

Taana made her decision. She turned around and knelt in front of Kieran. "The village is under attack," she told him.

Kieran's eyes widened in fear.

"I have to go help them, but I want you to stay right here. Don't follow me," she insisted. "I'll come back and get you when it's over."

Kieran looked at her with worry. "What if you don't come back?"

Taana swallowed. "If I'm not back by tonight, I want you to go to the cave and follow the directions to find Jarka. Do not go back to the village for any reason, do you understand?"

With tears in his eyes, Kieran nodded. Taana wrapped her son in a fierce hug. "I love you more than you'll ever know, Kieran."

Kieran clung to his mother. "I love you, too, Mom."

Taana kissed him on the cheek and forced herself to let him go. She stood and ran in the direction of the village.

Kieran sat on the ice and watched her leave.

* * *

When Taana reached the village, everything was in chaos. Firebenders were everywhere. Half the houses in the village had melted. Bodies littered the ground. The air smelled of smoke and burnt flesh. Taana heard someone cry out for a healer and ran to help.

It was Kara, another waterbender. Horrible burns covered the right side of her face. Taana rushed to her side and went to work. A firebender saw her and attacked. Taana blocked his fireball with a wall of ice. She waited for him to blast a hole through the wall. Then she sent a spear of ice into the opening, finishing him off. She turned back to her patient and managed to stabilize her.

Taana put a protective tent of ice over Kara and turned her attention back to the battle. It was not going well. The villagers were heavily outnumbered. Taana saw movement in the corner of her eye. She turned to see a Fire Nation soldier walking around the outskirts of the village. He was directing wave after wave of fire toward the surface of the glacier. After each blast, he scanned the surface with his eyes before moving onward. Suddenly, he stopped.

Horror washed over Taana as she realized where he stood. "The shelter!" she cried.

The soldier put all his effort into melting through the surface. Taana ran to stop him, but was cut off by more soldiers. Several other waterbenders came to her aid. They finally managed to get through. Taana ran as fast as she could. The other waterbenders dispatched the soldier as she ran to the opening he had created.

They were too late. The enclosure was filled with the blackened corpses of children, mothers, and elders. All of them were dead. Taana brought her hand to her mouth and covered the opening with more ice. The other waterbenders saw the truth on her face as she turned back to the battle. Rage filled them all.

"Monsters," Taana whispered through tears.

The villagers would fight to the last man.

* * *

Kieran watched the sun rise higher and higher. The bell had stopped ringing shortly after his mother left. He wondered if she was okay. She must be, he thought. No one could ever defeat her.

But as the day advanced, Kieran's confidence began to falter. His mother had told him to stay put, but he couldn't just sit here and do nothing. If he could just get a little closer, maybe he could hear what was going on.

Kieran began to run in the direction of the village. As he drew nearer, he saw smoke ascending into the sky. He began to slow down. Perhaps he shouldn't go any closer.

Kieran pulled up a mound of ice and crouched his small frame behind it. He listened intently, trying to hear anything that might indicate the state of the battle. He heard no shouts, no cries, no explosions. Could the fight be over? Surely, if the villagers had won, his mother would have returned for him already. Maybe she's hurt, he thought. If she was unconscious, she wouldn't be able to tell anyone where he was.

Desperate for a sign of his mother, Kieran crept out of his hiding place and slowly advanced. He crouched low to the ground, keeping his ears open for any sign of the state of his village. As the shapes of the village houses appeared in the distance, Kieran began to hear voices. He bent ice out of his way to form a trench so he could continue forward without being seen. Finally, he peeked his head above the surface and was able to see what was going on.

His people had lost. The village was in shambles. Anything that would burn was either on fire or already a smoking pile of ashes. The igloos had melted so that they were scarcely recognizable as houses. The voices he heard came from the Fire Nation soldiers who walked through the village. They rummaged through the buildings and searched the bodies of the dead, taking anything they thought might be valuable.

Kieran jerked his head down into the trench as tears stung his eyes. All he could think of was his mother. He refused to admit that she might be dead. Desperate, Kieran placed his hands on the ice before him and extended his senses through it. He sensed the bodies lying atop the ice, but none of them were the right size or shape to be her. He tried harder. He felt the shelter and nearly vomited. Sweat broke out on Kieran's brow and his nose began to bleed as he searched farther into the village.

There! He found her. But something was wrong. He could feel no movement from her. She lay completely still. With tears stinging his eyes, Kieran tunneled deep underneath the ice in the direction of his mother's form.

The soldiers on the surface looked at each other in confusion as the surface of the glacier shook beneath them. Kieran could think of nothing but the person he sensed across the village. His vision started to blur as his rapid breathing quickly used up the oxygen in the tunnel. At last he made it to where she was. Bursting out of the ice, Kieran shook his head and staggered to his mother's side.

She wasn't breathing. Kieran activated some water from the ice and tried to find out what was wrong. Maybe he could fix her. He was good at healing. He sensed a large wound in her back. He tried to heal it, but nothing happened. He tried harder. He focused as hard as he could, sobbing. Still there was no response.

Kieran rocked backward onto the ice. The water fell from his hands. His mother was dead. He reached out to touch her face. Her eyes were closed. She looked like she was sleeping.

Suddenly, Kieran became aware of movement nearby. He looked up and saw several Fire Nation soldiers standing around him. They were staring at him in disbelief.

Grief and anger at his mother's death mixed with fear as Kieran looked back at the soldiers. He wanted to run. He wanted to sink beneath the surface and hide forever. He wanted to bring his mother back. As the soldiers advanced toward him, so many conflicting emotions crashed together inside his head that he couldn't handle it.

He blacked out.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

When he came to, Kieran didn't know where he was. It was dark. He was lying on ice. He blinked and tried to recall what had happened.

The village. He had been in the village. Soldiers. His mother—

All the pain he had felt came back in a rush. Kieran sat up. His head swam, and it was difficult to see through his tears.

She had looked so peaceful. Then soldiers, all around him. They were going to kill him, like they had killed everyone in the shelter, everyone in the village. Like they had killed his mother.

All Kieran could see was Taana's face. He tried to think. Had the soldiers attacked him? Had he been captured? Was he dead?

Kieran pinched himself. Nope, still alive. Swallowing, he wiped the tears from his eyes and looked around. It looked like he was still on the glacier. The stars shone down on the ice and snow, making for a brighter scene than one might expect. Wherever he was, he was no longer in his village. Kieran looked for a landmark.

Silhouetted against the sky he saw a familiar cluster of outcroppings. They were fairly close. The instructions Taana had given him echoed in his mind. Numbly, Kieran stood up and started walking toward the cave with his mother's scrolls.

* * *

Without the stars for illumination, the cave was pitch black. Kieran walked inside and knelt on the floor. He put his hand on the ice. The bundle was right where he and his mother had left it. He pulled it up. He unwrapped it and pulled out the smallest scroll.

Kieran grasped the scroll in his hands. These were his mother's final instructions. Unfortunately, the starlight outside was not bright enough to read by. He had no candle or lantern. He would have to wait until morning to read them.

Kieran curled up on the floor and quietly cried himself to sleep.

* * *

The morning light brought a new sense of purpose for Kieran as he walked outside. He was determined to follow his mother's instructions to the letter. Slowly, reverently, he unfurled the scroll. Tears stung his eyes again as he recognized his mother's beautiful handwriting.

Taana reaffirmed her love for her son. She apologized for not being there for him. She told him to be brave. Then she told him what to do.

First, he had to change his face. Kieran knelt on the ice and activated some water. His hands shook. He took several deep breaths to calm his nerves. He remembered his mother's face and the lessons she had given him. His hands steadied. He moved the activated water over his face, studying the way it was formed. Carefully, he began to change his facial features. It felt like a thousand knives were carving into his face.

After what seemed like forever, he was done. He melted the ice in front of him and looked at his reflection. He didn't recognize himself. Good.

Next, his mother detailed instructions for making an ice raft to carry him to the continent. Kieran separated an ice floe and made a protective structure out of more ice on top of it. He had no provisions to bring with him. The picnic basket they had packed the day before was probably where he had left it, but Kieran refused to go back in the direction of his village. He would have to live on raw fish and seaweed until he reached the mainland.

Carefully, Kieran placed the bundle of scrolls in the back of his raft enclosure. He took a deep breath and directed his ice floe away from the glacier. His mother had mentioned a current that would take him in the direction of the continent. Kieran took note of the sun's position and headed east.

* * *

As the days passed, Kieran lost track of how long he'd been at sea. Sometimes it seemed like days, and others it seemed like months. He found the current and allowed it to propel him toward where his mother had said the mainland was. With little else to do, Kieran discovered that he could suspend water in a way that magnified sunlight. He amused himself by melting tiny pockmarks in his raft. Eventually, it occurred to him that he could try to use the sunlight to cook the raw fish he was already tired of eating. He tested his theory with some success, although he usually gave up and ate it raw anyway.

He tried often to remember what had happened to him in his village, but his memory remained stubbornly blank.

As the waters grew warmer, Kieran had to start adding ice back to his raft as it melted away. Finally one morning, he saw a faint silhouette of land on the horizon. He pulled out his mother's scroll for the umpteenth time. He hoped he had followed her directions correctly. He maneuvered his raft out of the current and began propelling himself toward the land. He was exhausted when he reached the shore. The land was rough and rocky. Kieran clutched his bundle of scrolls. His legs felt like jelly. Wobbly at first, he started up the shore. He was supposed to head north, his mother's instructions had said. It would bring him to Jarka's village. Kieran checked the position of the sun and began to walk. Tired as he was, he was afraid to sit and rest on the rocky shore. He would walk until he found a place that seemed safer. Farther inland, he could see that the rocky terrain gave way to trees. That might be a good place to rest. He trudged up the incline until he reached the woods.

Kieran had never seen trees before, although he knew what they were. He reached out and touched a branch. The leaves were cool and smooth, while the bark rasped gently against his fingertips. He heard birds singing. Leaves crunched under his feet. Sunlight shone through the leaves of the trees, forming patterns on the ground. A cool breeze blew through the woods. Kieran took a deep breath of the sweet-smelling air. This place seemed safe, protected. Kieran sat down beneath a large tree and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When he awoke, it seemed to be early afternoon. Kieran grabbed his bundle and stood up. Checking the position of the sun, he started walking north. He looked at the trees around him as he walked, fascinated by how different some were from others. Some kind of small animal darted away into the undergrowth as he passed. Kieran scuffed the leaves and dirt with his feet. It was all so different from home.

_Home._

Tears welled up in Kieran's eyes as he thought of his village. He remembered the shapes of the houses and the sounds of the villagers as they went about their daily business. He remembered his mother, cooking breakfast or showing him a waterbending technique. He missed her. Kieran sniffed and wiped his nose. He was determined to make her proud.

Kieran continued trekking through the woods, stopping every so often to make sure he was still going the right direction. He was getting thirsty. He listened for sounds of water but heard nothing. He considered heading back in the direction of the ocean and bending water from there, but he had no idea how far he was from the shoreline now. As he kept walking, he finally heard the trickling of a stream. Kieran followed the sound to its source.

He sat down on the bank and drank the clear, fresh water. At home, his mother had taught him how to bend fresh water out of the ocean by leaving the salt and minerals behind. The result was flat and tasteless. Melted snow or ice was better, but no water he had ever drunk was as good as this fresh water. Kieran finished drinking and let out a satisfied sigh.

He looked around. He should be getting close to Jarka's village, he thought. His mother's note didn't make it seem like the village was extremely far from where she expected him to land. Maybe he had landed farther from where she had thought he would arrive. After a few minutes' rest, Kieran stood up and decided to keep walking north.

The sun was getting lower in the sky when the trees in front of Kieran started thinning out. He broke out of the tree line next to a field. It was separated into neat rows, each one full of plants he did not recognize. Past the field, he saw wooden houses. This must be the village!

Kieran ran through the field toward the village. It seemed to take him forever to reach the nearest house. Breathlessly, he knocked on the door. A middle-aged man answered. He looked confused at the sight of a small boy on his doorstep.

"Yes?" he asked.

Kieran suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He stared at the man, trying to remember what he needed to ask.

"Are you looking for someone?" the man suggested.

Kieran snapped out of his daze. "Jarka. I'm looking for Jarka."

"Jarka?" The man thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah, the old widow. She lives closer to the harbor. I'm not sure which house is hers, though. Just head that way and ask someone who lives in that area." He pointed deeper into the village.

Kieran thanked the man and followed his directions. The town was much larger than it had looked from the forest. As the houses grew closer together, dirt paths gave way to roads paved with stones. People milled about, running errands or doing chores. Kieran stopped every so often to ask if someone knew where he could find Jarka. Finally, he found someone who knew where she lived.

"Head down that street. It's the last house on the left," a woman told him.

"Thanks," Kieran said.

He took the street she had indicated and found the house. There were lights on inside. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Nothing happened.

Kieran fidgeted on the doorstep. He couldn't hear any movement from within the house. Maybe she hadn't heard him. He knocked again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," a voice shouted from inside. "Have a little patience, for goodness' sake. Some of us aren't as young as we used to be."

The door finally opened to reveal an elderly woman. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw Kieran.

"Are you Jarka?" he asked timidly.

"Yes," she confirmed, still confused. As she looked down at Kieran, she noticed his tattered arctic clothing and the lone bundle he clutched. Her eyes widened in realization.

"Your mother is Taana?" she asked.

Kieran nodded.

Tears welled up in Jarka's eyes. "Is she…?"

All of Kieran's grief came flooding back, and he wept.

Jarka knelt on her doorstep and opened her arms. Kieran rushed into her embrace. For the first time since his mother's death, someone was there to comfort him. Jarka held him as he cried, tears staining her own cheeks.

"There, there," she whispered. "You're safe now."

Kieran finally stopped crying. He looked up at Jarka. "I don't know what to do."

Jarka took a breath. "You come inside and get cleaned up," she instructed as she wiped her face. "Dinner's in a little while. And don't you worry. I'll take care of you."


End file.
